I started with Hartke very early on. I actually started using Hartke cabinets on the Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying? tour. They did not have heads at that time, so I used another manufacturer’s head, but I used their aluminum cone 4X10 speaker cabinets on about midway through the Peace Sells… tour. I then recorded So Far, So Good…So What!, Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction using all Hartke cabinets. That really helped me define my tone with the Jackson basses into the Hartke systems. There were a couple of years where I used some other stuff, but returning back to when we did the Megadeth 20th anniversary Rust in Peace tour in 2010 was when I came back to Hartke. We wanted to recreate the look, the sound and feel of that Rust in Peace era. Hartke has now improved their products and, as time will do, innovations and technologies improve which help improve the end product. So the Hartke stuff just sits right in the mix with Megadeth. I really feel that the new Hartke stuff that I’m sitting right inside Shawn’s kick drum."

The interviewer here asks Dave if he remembers what amp he used before Hartke... more

The interviewer here asks Dave if he remembers what amp he used before Hartke came out with the amp heads which he currently uses to which Ellefson responds, "Yeah, I used the GK 800RB..." going on to talk about the bass and cabinets which he used in conjunction with this amp.

This YouTube video is one of many from a series created and produced by one o... more

This YouTube video is one of many from a series created and produced by one of Megadeth's founders and bass guitarist David Ellefson called "David Ellefson's Rock Shop" which featured advice and lessons from Ellefson himself. The series was set in David Ellefson's home studio, the heart of which was the Soundtracs JADE 48 Console.

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In this YouTube video for EMG TV, David Ellefson uses his Ashdown Bass Drive ... more

In this YouTube video for EMG TV, David Ellefson uses his Ashdown Bass Drive Plus during his bass solos. It can be heard at 3:22 and 4:12 gives a tour of his studio. And can be seen at 1:28 next to his pedalboard.

David Ellefson Leaderboard

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